When I was a little girl, I learned that women stayed at home waiting for their Prince Charming to come to sweep them away and put them back at another home to clean and wait for their husbands to come home. Well, it's the new century and these days women are off finding their dreams - whether that dream stars a prince or princess, a phenomenal career, or a few fur children - it is all up to them. Disney princesses have come a long way from their days of "always be kind." Nowadays, we get to see Disney women acting like badass b*tches. I've been watching Disney+ movies, and I've noticed that even in some of the classics, there are women who were ahead of their time. Here are a few quotes I caught in fifteen different movies with feminist and badass tones.
"You said, 'Trust Ping.' Why is Mulan any different?"
Mulan from "Mulan".
This epic quote came from Mulan as she was warning General Shang (aka General Hunk) and his soldiers about an impending attack from the Huns. He refused to listen to her because she was a woman but listened to her advice as a man. When will guys learn women are usually right?
Bonus quote: "How about a girl who's got a brain, who always speaks her mind?"
"I am not a prize to be won."
Princess Jasmine from "Aladdin"
Just because she's a princess doesn't mean she does nothing but act pretty. Remember when standing up for your rights was seen as bossy and rude? Snaps to Princess Jasmine!
"Bright young women, sick of swimming. Ready to stand."
Ariel from "The Little Mermaid".
Now, do many audiences think of Ariel as a ditzy, naive princess? Maybe. But let's be real, how many of y'all would seriously get out of y'all's comfort zones to go after your crush? There we go.
"Still I cannot see, if the savage one is me, how can there be so much that you don’t know?”
Pocahontas from "Pocahontas".
This Native American princess doesn't need no man, especially one who wants to take a paintbrush and whitewash her goddamn culture for all of American history.
"He's not the monster Gaston. You are!"
GiphyBelle from "Beauty and the Beast".
A woman WAAAAYYY beyond her time. Belle was breaking stereotypes in the 1800s as a well-educated young woman uninterested in marriage in a small rural French village. PLUS rejecting the borderline predatory advances of the misogynistic war hero Gaston? I spy an ICON.
"The only frozen heart around here is yours."
Anna from "Frozen"
We all FELT that when Anna punched her ex so hard that boy FLEW into the bay.
Side note: Remember ladies, love isn't a weakness.
"They can't stop me from dreaming."
Cinderella from "Cinderella"
To this day, I still love the hope Cinderella had that good people deserve good things. Soft feminism counts, too.
“Listen here, mister. This stick in the mud has had to work two jobs her whole life while you’ve been sucking on a silver spoon chasing chambermaids around your ivory tower!”
Tiana from "Princess and the Frog"
The first African American Disney princess was everything I had hoped: strong-willed, hard-working, prevailing against racism and never giving up on her dreams. All praise Princess Tiana.
"This whole marriage is what you want! Do you ever bother to ask what I want? No! You walk around telling me what to do, what not to do! Trying to make me be like you! Well, I’m not going to be like you!”
Princess Merida from "Brave".
I loved Merida - the whole movie she fought for her own hand in marriage, going against the old womanhood traditions she was raised with. We love a feminist who teaches women to stand up for themselves.
Bonus quote: "Write our own stories, follow our hearts, and find love in our own time."
"A few moments ago I realized the only reason I was getting married was because of a law, and that didn't seem like a good enough reason."
Mia Thermopolis from "The Princess Diaries".
"The Princess Diaries" was the ultimate girl-power movie! Mia's looks may have changed, but she stayed true to herself within.
"I'm a damsel. I'm in distress. I can handle this, have a nice day!"
GiphyMeg from "Hercules".
Meg is the ultimate independent woman out of all of the Disney princesses. This girl didn't need no man - she has Hercules because she wants him!
"Stop whining. Woman up!"
Go Go from "Big Hero 6".
No. 1 UNDERRATED MOVIE OF THE LAST CENTURY. And an underrated, powerful character. 'Nuff said.
"Leave the saving of the world to the men? I don't think so."
GiphyElastigirl from "The Incredibles".
Superhero, wife, mother of three, thicc icon. A true Queen.
"No, I will not stop. For every minute for the rest of my life, I will fight."
GiphyRapunzel from "Tangled".
A sweet soul. A powerful soul. A fighting soul. This girl proved that strength can come off strong, but it can also come off gently. It doesn't mean it's not there, though. It's always underneath the surface, fueling the flame.
"You mistreat this poor boy the same way you mistreat my people. You speak of justice, yet you are cruel to those most in need of your help?"
GiphyEsmeralda from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".
Another severely underrated feminist in the Disney universe is Esmeralda - a gypsy woman who fights the patriarchy for the name of justice and gets called a witch for doing so. Sound familiar?
So ladies, fight like a princess. Act like a princess. Be like a princess.
